After all of this exploring, you must be hungry & thirsty. Stay tuned for my next post on my favorite restaurants and bars to check out while in Boston.
My Boston Favorites
Spring time is just around the corner (or so people keep saying), and it’s always nice to watch Boston come alive again after the dreary winter. While the flowers and trees begin to sprout, there is an obvious increase of visitors to our little city and it’s a wonderful time to go exploring. For any one with plans to visit Boston soon, or even for locals who have been cooped up inside all winter and can’t wait to get out into the city, I wanted to put together a list of some of my favorite places and spaces in Boston.
I mentioned it in my first ever blog post, but I’ll say it again: The Boston Public Library in Copley Square is one of my all-time favorite locations in Boston. I prefer the original McKim building, which claims a prominent spot as the southern anchor of Copley Square (with Trinity Church as it’s counter part across the way). Built in the late 1800’s, it’s definitely grand and ornate, however the spaces still feel comfortable and welcoming, never overwhelming. There are murals by John Singer Sargent and the Bates Reading Room is beautiful with a coffered barrel vaulted ceiling high above beautiful wood reading tables. Walk up the central grand stair and don’t tell me you don’t feel the magic! And of course there is the courtyard, modeled after a roman cloister. Relax in one of the chairs out in the courtyard with a book, while listening to the sound of the running water of the fountain in the background. Such an amazing piece of architecture.
My next must-see isn’t really a ‘place’ in Boston, but rather a street. The Commonwealth Mall is a green space that runs down the middle of Commonwealth Avenue, starting in the Fenway neighborhood and ending at the Boston Garden. This is a section of what is called The Emerald Necklace, a green space that runs through much of Boston, designed by the landscape architect, Fredrick Law Olmsted (he also designed Central Park, so he knows his sh*t). The Commonwealth Mall has a wide sidewalk to stroll down, and the Back Bay brownstones that line the street on both sides provide for some real eye candy during your stroll. I try to picture what’s behind the windows and doors of the grand houses, but not in a spooky way.
Moving further downtown, a visit to Boston Harbor just can’t be missed during a visit to this city. Throughout history, the harbor is what has given Boston life and it continues to do that today. Walk through the large arch opening in the Boston Harbor Hotel and saunter down the boardwalk, admiring the beautiful yachts. The old Customs House (the stone building with the clock tower) a few blocks in from the water used to be at the edge of the harbor, before the harbor was partially filled in to create more land. This is where ships would dock and ‘check-in’ to the city when traveling by ship was the norm.
When you need a break from the sun, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the Fenway is the cultural jewel of the city. The Museum of Fine Arts is right around the corner and also amazing, but if you only have time for one museum, hit up the Gardner. Once again, I prefer the original portion of the museum to the addition built in the 21st century (although the later addition boasts some beautiful details). A truly magnificent building, designed to mimic a Venetian palazzo, turned inside out, with an interior central courtyard, perfect to be enjoyed in all weather. Isabella Stuart Gardner’s collection of artwork is displayed through multiple rooms, each having a different theme.
